heart rate

Ok so. On christmas eve i was admitted to the hospital for dehydration. I have mostly recovered but since coming home ive been having either a fast beating heart or heart palpitations. Sometimes i begin to have i guess hot flashes and become faint. Other times like right now my heart is just beating quickly and i cant seem to calm it down. Could recovering from dehydration be causing this? I am still under the weather after all and the doctor today did tell me i was still a bit dehydrated. I asked him about the heart problems and he is trying ti get me in to see a cardiologist sine i do have a family history of heart problems that start early. For instance my father had a heart attack at 25. I am 20 now and so of course i am wanting to start gettimg checked out regularly. But in the mean time, how do i stop this.

[michellepetkus]

I would also go to your GP to be evaluated for thyroid problems.  The fact that you have hot flashes at your age may indicate a hormonal imbalance and hormonal imbalances can cause the heart to beat faster than normal.  Your being sick may throw your hormones more off balance than normal but you should definitely see if you can get that checked out along with a your cardiac check up as well.  Good luck and keep us posted on how you are doing.

[jlollar]

For now we have an appointment we are trying to set up, we should know soon but my normal doctor is having to set it up. After talking withy dad he said he basically went through the same thing when he was 19, his sister started at 14, and his father started at 20 amd so on as far as we can trace it back. So heart problems early on is very common, so we are hoping for some answers amd being sick may just not have anything to do with it at all. It may just be my time to start all that. But being a 20 year old male my dad said they will hsve a hard time believing me. It took him years to finally find a doctor who took him seriously bc we are "too young amd healthy for heart problems". But the history is there. My father also had his first heart attack at 25. For now when i have my palpitations or the faintness or the heart racing he said i can have a low dose (80mg) bayer asprin. Up to two a day. Which is advise his doctors always gave him and he said it helps alot. That should be perfectly fine right? Until i have my tests hopefully this week. The heart racing and all os very unnerving and makes me anxious to no end.

[michellepetkus]

As far as I know it shouldn't be a problem taking the aspirin but I am not a doctor and you really should ask one that question.  Can you pose this to your GP?  The biggest thing with aspirin is if you have any underlying stomach issues to make sure you take it with food and not on an empty stomach or it will cause your stomach some pain.  When your heart races does it start and stop suddenly or does it go up and down gradually?  Do you have dizziness, shortness of breath or feel as though you will pass out when you have the fast beat?  Do you know what your pulse is when it is beating fast?  These things will be asked by your doctor so get as much together about your symptoms and write them down so you don't forget anything when you go for your appointment.  As for having a doctor taking you seriously I would firmly stress that your family has a history of heart disease and you want a full workup.  An ekg and stress echo are two fairly easy tests that can determine the overall health of your heart.  If this cardiologist refuses then find another.  At your young age, your father is right, doctors can assume there is nothing wrong because there shouldn't be anything wrong so you just need to be your own best advocate and keep insisting until you get the tests you need to verify the health of your heart.  Finally, do your best to let go of your stress about this.  The stress is definitely going to make things worse for you.  Good luck.  I am here if you need to talk more.

[tom_h]

You don't indicate just how fast your heart rate was.

It's perfectly normal to have an elevated pulse if you're dehydrated, or especially when you're running a fever.  I've recorded rates as high as 120 when I have a high fever. So just how fast is it?

[jlollar]

It was 120 at the doctor yesterday and it hasnt really calmed down. Sure it stops a while but when it gets going again it lasts for hours and stays that way.

[michellepetkus]

It could very well be simple sinus tachycardia brought on by your illness that will subside once you are healthy again.  Eating is also a classic cause for an elevated heart rate that can last a couple of hours until your body is done digesting.  That said, your doctor may want to rule out afib with your family history of heart disease though I would think they would wait until you were healthy again to see if it clears up.  Well, regardless, try to let go of any stress you may be feeling about all this because the stress could be keeping your heart rate elevated as well.  Take some deep breaths and try to release.  Since you are not having chest pain, shortness of breath or dizziness you are likely not in any mortal danger.  Take care, hope you feel better soon.